Serf

Class: Legally bound laborers

Protected by: Very little

Overview: Serfs form the backbone of the Oligarchy’s economic and agricultural systems. Bound by law and tradition to the land they are born on, they are the property of the ruling Noble Houses and may not leave their assigned territory without explicit permission as per the Serf Travel Ban. They are not slaves in name, but their conditions often differ little in practice. Their lives are dictated by the needs of their Lords, their bodies bent in service, and their voices ignored in the halls of power.

Legal Status: According to the Noble Laws, serfs may not own land, vote in Noble matters, bear weapons without a writ, or learn to read or write unless permitted. Magical practice by a serf is punishable by death unless sanctioned by a noble or one of the Mage Circles. Attempts to leave one’s assigned province without writ, even for pilgrimage, is treated as an act of sedition.

Serfs are commonly farmers, shepherds, herdsmen, field hands, canal dredgers, quarry haulers and any other menial tasks that most are unwilling to do. In coastal provinces, they are fishers and net-weavers. In places like Flagon and Horefalls, they are miners and tunnel clearers. In the marshes of Flaven, they work the ferries and gather rare flora for their masters. They often labor from dawn until nightfall with only minor reprieve. Their children, when old enough to walk, are expected to work as well.

Culture: Though scattered and often suppressed, serf culture is rich with stories, whispered prayers, and small acts of defiance. Tales like The Undying Ember , The Perfect Feild, and The cry of the Rooster give them hope. Serfs speak in coded folklore, smuggled songs, and humor that punches up. Many know small traditions, such as burying a lump of coal under a newborn’s cradle to invoke Solacear or painting a red mark on their face in quiet defiance.

Religion: Serfs may be told to revere the gods of their Lords, but most worship in secret. The Serf Gods are never acknowledged by official clergy, and speaking their names in the presence of Nobles can lead to harsh punishment. Notable among them are Solacear(goddess of endurance, warmth, and hope), Grainyday (goddess of survival, crops, and hunger), Backbrekka (god of burdens and toil), Wattyler (god of vengeance and righteous rebellion) and Bittaluck (god of desperate gambles). Each of these gods reflects an element of serf survival and resistance, even in the darkest corners of the Oligarchy.

Suppression:
Noble Houses suppress serf movements in a variety of cruel and calculated ways:

House Gha'ard conscripts serfs as expendable shock troops.

House Charon uses serf bodies as raw materials for their undead armies.

House Lock'aihain binds serfs with contracts of debt and legal trickery.

House Mendel uses drugs and addiction to control theirs serfs

House Gelbvieh charges serfs with care of specific beasts, then executes them if the beast dies. Even from disease or chance out of their control.